A Dilemma is Presented
by Nirreth
Summary: In which a series of dilemmas are presented.


Screaming.

Bangs.

Flashes.

Screaming.

Chanting.

Fire.

Red.

Screamingscreamingscreaming_screamingscreamingscreamingscrea – _

"Carter!" Terror.

"Z-Zia!" Panic.

"I'm here Carter!" Reassurance.

He tries to stop the flow of tears – he can't let Zia know just how much these dreams have affected him – but he finds he can't. No matter how hard he tries, no matter how much he _wills _himself to stop those shameful sobs from escaping his throat, they continue escaping – like desperate mice trying to escape a cat's tormenting paws.

Zia continues holding him and making reassuring statements over and over and over again. She tells him that it was all a bad dream, that by morning he will forget he ever even dreamed this. But those are all lies, all lieslieslieslies. And she knows it, she can't ignore the way his shoulders feel bonier, how his eyes are sunken, how he doesn't eat as much anymore – she just _can't_. She would be a fool not to notice these changes. She would be a foolfoolfoolfool_. _

_Isn't that what she is, what they all are?_

Shut up_._

_They __are all fools._

Shut up!

_Pitiful, pitiful – _

SHUT UP!

"Carter!" Fear.

He could just _see _that awful monster that lurked in those dark, _neverending _shadows (he wished he had the courage to jump at it and _kill it_), he could _feel _that hideous grin already forming on its indistinguishable face.

_Oooohhhh! But you know it's true. They are a__ll__ fool__s, traitorous, traitorous –_

He _lunged _and he _struck with all his might _and how _dare _it make its perverted version of a human's

scream, that little _absolute_ –

"_CARTER!_" Absolute terror.

Zia was standing now, far away from him. She had a look of pure terror on her eyes and her wand was tightly clutched by her trembling hand.

"Zia...?" Nervousness.

She was staring at a spot beside him, that look of terror never dissipating (_how pitiful). _

He slowly turned his head to that spot.

_What a me__ss._

The pillow was torn and all the feathers were _everywhere_ and it was like all the pain and exhaustion and _confusion _in him had finally decided to take whatever remnants of strength he had left and everything suddenly went a _neverending, bottom__l__ess black_.

* * *

><p>The first thing Carter was aware of was the too happy, too high-pitched, too familiar giggling.<p>

That giggling _always _made him want to stand up and _stab_ that _nameless wretched thing _and fall to his knees and _beg for mercy._

"...Carter?" Worry.

It was Sadie who spoke. She was at his left, looking at him tearful eyes. Zia was at his right, sound asleep.

"What happened?" Forgetfulness.

"You... don't remember?" Disbelief.

"YOU WERE FUCKING TEARING APART A _BLOODY PILLOW _AND SCREAMING LIKE A _FUCKING LUNATIC, YOU FUCKING ASSHAT! HOW CAN YOU NOT FUCKING REMEMBER!"__ Rage._

And suddenly, he remembered what he did. He remembered all the screaming, the terror, the _pure raging anger _he felt and, worst of all, the look of _terror_ and _horror _on her face as she saw him demolish that pillow.

That giggling was back again.

Carter looked away from Sadie's furious eyes (all the while trying not to scream in anger and fear) and into Zia's (she had been woken by Sadie's enraged yelling) exhausted ones.

And a cold, hard, merciless wave of crippling guilt hit him. She looked so tired and drained and _unhappy _and _had she been crying before? _That red on her eyes must be his imagination, or that _monster _caused. Yes, yes, that _monster _probably did it, it always did.

"You need help Carter." Defeat.

"...Help?" Confusion. Was Zia implying that he was _crazy_?

Giggling.

"Yes, Carter, help! You need help!" Desperation.

_What a foolfoolfool. Doesn't she know that you don't need 'help'._ Giggling.

More giggling.

Carter put his head between his hands and tried not to scream.

_Traitoroustraitorous foolsfoolsfoolsfoolsfoolsfo – _

"_SHUT UP!" _Hysteria.

Zia and Sadie (_foolsfoolsfools) _were staring at him in fright. Carter looked at his hands and felt his eyes start burn and fill with tears of (_foolish_) confusion.

That _thing _was giggling again.

* * *

><p><strong>I have very mixed feelings about this fanfiction. What I was trying to do was make sort of angsty fic that brought forth a lot of emotions, but I kind of failed in this. Constructive criticism is accepted (I would really appreciate some help on improving my writing).<strong>


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